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Saturday, July 8, 2017

CATTLE, COWBOYS, AND OIL WELLS

For over a hundred years, the discovery of oil led millions of American families just like mine to follow and work in the oilfields. It was a way of passage from rural farm life to urban industrial society. The main lure was economic opportunity. Texans, as well as citizens from other states, faced the hazards and challenges of a new life because they saw the promise of a better one for themselves and for their children.

When I began writing The Cameron Sisters series, the hero in the first book, Dalton King became a wildcatter, a man with a dream and vision of striking oil (Texas Promise-Book I-The Cameron Sisters). He'd heard of Spindletop at Beaumont, Texas, and that it ushered in the modern era of drilling. He left the Texas Rangers, and on a ranch land he owned southeast of Austin, he took a chance and drilled. **Dalton King married Jo Cameron, and together they founded an empire. Dalton's foreman was savvy Sam Deleon, a loner wandering the West, looking for work. I was so intrigued with his character I wrote Texas True, about Jo's younger sister, True Cameron. She fell in love with Sam, and wow, they have quite a story! (Texas True-Book II-The Cameron Sisters). Sam proved to be less than honest with his new bride, but through many trials and tribulations, they do find their HEA.

I grew up on the South Plains of West Texas, in a small oil and cotton town just west of Lubbock. My daddy worked for an oil company, one that began with the name Standard Oil, and through numerous mergers eventually became EXXON. The strange thing is, though, he was a carpenter and that's what he did for the company. He and a crew went ahead of a "wildcat" to build "doghouses," platforms, fences, and eventually camp houses. The camp houses were identical--small but snug and much better than the tent houses families lived in during the earlier years of wildcatting.The drive between the town we lived in and Lubbock was about twenty miles. My family--Daddy, Mother, my two sisters, and I sometimes went to Lubbock for various reasons. We'd drive back home at night and in the distance, I could see oil rigs lit up like Christmas trees. I asked Daddy, "What are those?" He said, "Those are wildcats." I loved that name and title, and asked him many questions.

The Camerons series is with Prairie Rose Publishing

Texas Promise

After two years, Jo Cameron King’s life as a widow abruptly ends when her husband returns home to Austin. Unable to understand her angry and bitter husband, she accepts a call to travel to the New Mexico Territory to meet her dying birth father whom she knows nothing about. Her plan to escape her husband goes awry when he demands to travel with her.Dalton King, believing lies his Texas Ranger partner tells him about Jo, seethes with hatred toward his wife. Now he must protect Jo from his partner’s twisted mind, while sorting out the truth. Jo’s bravery and loyalty convince him she’s innocent. But can they regain the love and respect they once shared?

Texas True

At a Governor's Ball in Austin, Texas, True Lee Cameron meets suave Sam Deleon. Before the night is out, she transforms from the coddled and protected younger sister to a woman in love. Reality crashes down when she accidentally learns he has deceived her. Daring to disobey him, she follows Sam to the oilfields and determines to live wherever he does. Has she made a mistake? Will she give up and return home where she can make her own rules?When Sam Deleon meets the gorgeous young woman his mother has chosen for him, he fears falling in love, because he knows nothing about love. In order to carry out his mother’s plan, he marries True and moves her to his mother's home, intending to visit enough to set the plan in motion. When True fails to obey him, he faces the possibility of losing her, thereby losing his inheritance and the family property.Sam and True attempt a reconciliation and compromise. Together, they now face a nemesis, someone who determines to thwart every action they take, endangering not only their lives, but also those whom they love.

Texas Dreamer

Lee King is a dreamer. When he realizes he was born under a lucky star, he went for the jackpot and won. But winning a big prize isn't the same as keeping it safe from interlopers and greedy fortune hunters--including women. When oilman Tex McDougal crosses his path, Lee believes he has found the perfect man to help him. His daughter, Emilie McDougal, while not a buxom beauty, impresses him with her intelligence, her courage, and her selflessness.Could he strike a financial bargain with her? One that would suit them both?

Emilie McDougal has no family except her father, and she has followed in his footsteps from age one. When Lee King enters their lives, she begins to dream--for the first time in her life. She only wants one thing from Lee, one tiny thing that would make her life complete. Would he agree to her counter-bargain?~~*~~*~~This last "Texas Book" is about Lee King, who is Dalton King's little brother.These books are in ebook and print, and can be found on my Amazon page:https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=celia+yeary

12 comments:

I can tell how much you love your dad in this post. You paint such a colorful and intriguing picture of oil wells in those early years of "wild catting." I like that name, too. I remember Standard Oil from back there in my childhood. I actually did not know that was the beginning of Exxon. Shows you what I don't know about the oil industry, doesn't it?I loved all the books in the Camerons series. You are such a talented writer, Celia.

Thank you, thank you, thank you...first for giving me some of your precious time in reading this post. Saturdays are killers, aren't they? We try to cram in as much as we can, such as cleaning the house--which is really never dirty with just the two of us--baking something for the week, laundry saved all week..etc. Oh, yes, I loved my daddy--how could a child/girl/woman not love a parent who told me I was pretty every day (translated to "beautiful" in my mind), and that he loved me. Yes, I loved my mother, too, but she was the disciplinarian--pretty liberal--and couldn't afford to shower complements on us girls. Instead, with her, it was "go comb your hair. You look like you just got out of bed,"..or "take the wet clothes out of the washing machine and go hang them on the line.)..etc.Oil booms have fascinated me a long time..mainly because that's how daddy fed and clothed us...by following the West Texas oil boom. And that's how we came to live in the western part of Texas.I'm glad you've read my books, but then I knew you had. You always give me a little boost in confidence when you say you loved them.I hope your Saturday is good--it's 100 degrees here, and I haven't stepped my foot out the door today--and I won't.You keep writing, too.

Morgan--that's all he did--work. After work at home, he worked in Mother's vegetable garden or the yard, paint something, etc. He was always first to volunteer for some community/church project that required building or painting. Thanks for visiting.

Celia, by golly I have missed some of these books--shame on me--but not for long. I will have them on my kindle pronto. So fascinating and remarkable to me that your dad and you were part of the oil business. How great is that to be part of history in the making? WOW! Those are some beautiful covers also. Love them. I so enjoyed your blog, thank you. For an eastern girl or northern if you prefer--(NYS))the few times I visited Galveston and Houston with hubby to help set up his trade shows for his company)I saw the oil rigs in Galveston harbor and throughout the region. I was in awe with them. Thanks again for a very interesting blog. Wishing you much success with all of these. Yesterday I wasn't on line as I was out of town doing a booksigning on the Erie Canal to celebrate the bicentennial, so I apologize for being late in my comment.

Beverly--thanks so much to take time to stop by and read. I so appreciate your remarks and thoughts.There were five us--three girls and I was the middle sister. My family was basically homeless for 6 years as we moved from town to town in West Texas. Everything we owned was in our 1940 Ford..and we lived like vagabonds. One day, I'll write more about that. It was not that we didn't have money--Daddy made a good salary. But in an oil boom town? No place to rent except motels and one room in somebody's home. We did this for six years. Ugh.So, thank you for your comment! I loved it.

Celia, no wonder you write such great Texas stories. You and your family are part of the history of the state. I enjoyed reading about your memories of the wildcats lit up like Christmas trees.I also love your book covers and am adding the Camerons series to my kindle.

Hey, Lyn! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment. I would be thrilled if your read the Cameron series. No matter what I've written since these books, nothing compares to how much I love The Cameron stories. I guess it's that way with all authors. We love our own books, but even we have favorites. In West Texas, on the high plains where we were, you could see for miles and miles..there's nothing to stop your vision. As I've written before, the sky was like a big blue bowl turned upside down on a flat sea of green...or brown. See you around!

They go in order, but if you want my opinion as to the best of the four?...TEXAS PROMISE. It's always been my favorite. There is some back story, but I think it's easy to figure. In my mind, TP and the others are basically stand alone stories. Thanks for you comment.